Gift of a Wish
by The Lady of the Trees
Summary: Knowing that he will never see her again, Jareth decides to give Sarah a parting gift, the gift of a wish. But Jareth never expected that this very wish would send her hurtling back into his life...and his heart.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: All characters are from the Labyrinth and belong to Jim Henson and not to me.

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Story by The Lady of the Trees

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Prologue

Jareth leaned casually against the frame of the open window, staring out at the night sky and avoiding what lay in the room with him. He understood that this last meeting was inescapable, but he wished to the gods that he didn't have to go through with it.

Gathering his strength he stood and turned slowly to face the bed. He could vaguely make out her form in the moonlight that shone through the window. Taking a deep breath, he slunk quietly to the side of the bed and crouched down beside her.

Sarah Williams lay sleeping under light satin sheets clad in a sky blue tank-top. Her chocolate hair fanned out behind her head elegantly which, at the current moment, was turned away from Jareth's view. He didn't have to see her face to know that hidden behind her closed eyelids were the most beautiful green eyes he had ever seen.

She had defeated the king and his labyrinth that very same day, speaking the six words that had almost completely destroyed him to hear, but Jareth had not died, as Sarah may have believed, when he had fallen into the shadow of the shattered Escher room. He had merely left, transforming into his owl form and flying away to the evening skies of the labyrinth to be alone with his thoughts.

And then he had come to her. Knowing as he did so what he wanted to do and at the same time realizing that this was to be the last time he would ever see her. Currently Jareth struggled to push those thoughts out of his mind and broke the deafening silence with all that he had left to say to her.

"You know better than most the dangers that can come from wishing, Sarah," he began "If we are not careful, the very things we wish for the most can lead us to "dangers untold and hardships unnumbered," nevertheless, there is something that I wish, and I wish it with all my heart. I wish that things had been different, that you had not been forced to choose between your family and the dreams which you love so steadfastly. But we cannot always have what we wish for, and life, more often than not, is not fair," Jareth paused shortly before continuing "Which is why," he whispered softly "You and I shall have to keep this a secret."

Suddenly Jareth lifted his right hand and produced within it a crystal ball. Bringing the sphere to his lips he whispered into it "Whatever you wish." With a motion from his outstretched-arm, the crystal moved to hover over Sarah's sleeping form before bursting into a shower of silver glitter.

Sarah stirred slightly at the slight popping noise from the crystal and shifted her body so that she was facing Jareth. He battled with himself for a moment, but could not resist the temptation that lay before him. Seizing his final chance, Jareth raised himself to sit on the edge of the bed, lowering himself slowly to her until their lips met for the first time. He kissed her gently, but with passion, and then reluctantly withdrew. Sarah sighed happily in her sleep and Jareth smiled sadly, his face mere inches from hers.

"You will forever be in my thoughts…and my heart." he said in a barely audible whisper. At this he leapt up and retreated back to the open window before he lost his will completely. With one last look at Sarah Williams, Jareth changed once again into a snowy white owl and set off towards his home, leaving behind only small traces of glitter and his final words, which lingered on the air long after he had gone.

"Goodbye, Goblin Queen."

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More too come…

This is my first ever story so please review and give me your verdict. Was it good? Bad? Putrefying crap? Let me know and you shall take with you the blessing of the gnome.


	2. Chapter 1: Where are you?

Disclaimer: All characters are from the Labyrinth and belong to Jim Henson and not to me.

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Story by The Lady of the Trees

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Chapter One: Where are you?

As the sun set upon the magical land known as the Underground and the amber hues of sky faded swiftly to a deep star-lined black, the lingering wisps of the evening clouds gave way at last to reveal the hidden moon. Having been concealed by the clouds for so long and thus deprived of its stage, the moon chose to give a particularly grand performance, and shone with exceptional luster as it illuminated the lands which lay beneath it.

Its beams spread throughout the whole of the Labyrinth, from the gnarled tree on the hilltop where the mortal girl known as Sarah Williams had begun her journey nearly three years ago, to the castle where she had ended it. The glitter-dusted trees of the forests of the Labyrinth caught the light and reflected it, making each one look as if hundreds of fireflies nested in its branches.

No person had better access to the view of the moonlit maze than the Goblin King who was currently perched upon one of the large circular windows of his throne room. The view however was lost to him for his mind had long been engaged elsewhere.

His gaze was fixed on his gloved hands and the three crystal spheres he twirled expertly upon his dexterous fingertips. He looked deeply into each of the turning crystals as if searching for something that lay hidden within them. As if, there, just beneath the surface was _her._

But this was not so. Jareth knew all too well that to see her again would be impossible. When she had said those six fateful words she had meant them and her belief had made them real. He had no power over her. Not even the power to see her again. Preoccupied with his thoughts, Jareth remained unaware of the regal presence that entered the darkness of the throne room behind him until the figure, growing tired of being ignored, addressed him sternly.

"Jareth, King of the Goblins and Lord of the Labyrinth," King Aldric began methodically, "The Labyrinth has failed in its intended task and the time for action draws near. The fate of the kingdom is now laid upon your young shoulders."

"You speak of things I already know." replied Jareth coldly, his eyes not leaving the crystals as he spoke.

"Oh I am well aware of your knowledge your current predicament. What I question is whether or not you will choose to do anything about it," he steamed "Or do you simply intend to waste away knee-deep in your own sorrows and let your birthright slip through your hands as easily as the mortal girl?"

With an enraged and anguished cry, Jareth grasped the crystals he had been holding and hurled them against the stone wall. They came shattering to the ground in a million tiny glass shards. When he made no attempt to say anything further, Aldric began again, but gentler.

"Jareth," he began, " I speak to you not only as High King of the Underground, but as a father who cares about you. There is still time to prevent this. Son, I beg of you, move on…let go."

"And what if I cannot let go?" Jareth questioned softly.

"Then you will lose everything you foolish boy." snarled Aldric, his patience wearing thin.

"Is what I ask for really that foolish father?" yelled Jareth, finally turning to face the man completely.

"For someone in your position, yes."

Jareth laughed at this, but it was a cold and humorless laugh.

"My position?" Jareth repeated sarcastically, "So, Goblin Kings aren't allowed to love is that it? To have a heart and wishes of their own?"

Aldric sighed, bringing his fingers up to rub his temple for a moment as if clearing his muddled thoughts.

"In the end, the choice is up to you my son," said Aldric sadly, "But I advise you to think carefully on what you value more, your kingdom or your precious love."

With this the figure was gone, just as suddenly and mysteriously as he had come, retreating back into the shadowed corners of the room and disappearing in a cloud of gray smoke, leaving Jareth alone once more.

Turning back to the window that overlooked his kingdom Jareth exhaled sharply. On nights when the moon shone as brightly as this, the same moon that shone in the skies of the Aboveground, he often wondered what had become of her.

"Oh Sarah," he thought sadly, "Where are you?"

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More to Come…

If anyone's confused about what this chapter is about, and what the conversation between Jareth and his father means, don't worry. It's all going to be revealed in later chapters.

I truly thank everyone who reviewed my first chapter and anyone who read my work. I know that it has taken me a very long time to update and for this I am deeply sorry. For a long time I have been afraid to write for others, but finally I have realized that you can't let fear rule you and define who you are.

Once again, I thank you all.

-The Lady of the Trees


	3. Chapter 2: Somewhere Safe

Disclaimer: All characters are from the Labyrinth and belong to Jim Henson and not to me.

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Story by The Lady of the Trees

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Chapter 2: Somewhere Safe

The light hummed, bare in its socket, shining against the darkness of the room. Sarah Williams was crying.

She did not know how long she had been there, or where exactly "there" was, but one thing she knew with perfect and sickening clarity…the man was going to rape her.

She had known for awhile that he was going to kill her of course. After all, most psychopaths aren't in the habit of letting their victims waltz off into the sunset after they've finished with them.

While Sarah had never imagined that she would end up dying in such a dreadful manner, in this moment, rape seemed infinitely worse than death.

Death was quick. Death was easy. Death was an escape rope from the absolute atrocity of a situation which Sarah currently found herself in. Rape was something altogether different and a vastly more terrifying and repulsive prospect to her.

Sarah had been a strong-willed person her entire life, and although it pained and humiliated her to admit it, there was nothing that she could currently do which could prevent her fate. She had been fighting long enough to understand that, in this case, fighting was not going to do her any good.

The man was going to rape her and then she was going to die.

In a meager but desperate effort to take her mind off of what was happening to her, Sarah's thoughts strayed to the only place she had ever truly found peace…the Labyrinth.

Various images of the journey she had taken through this magical land went dancing through her mind just as her captor's hands found her shirt and began ripping it from her body. Images of a forest, a castle, a garden, but perhaps most particularly a ballroom…

Slowly but surely, a series of words began to formulate in Sarah's mind, words she had not dared to think of or utter for nearly three years when she had learned of the power which lay behind them.

"I wish…" thought Sarah "I wish…"

The man smiled evilly, his cruel eyes glinting as he began to slowly unbutton her jeans.

"I wish"

His knife was pressed hard to her throat as he began pulling her pants off.

And that was when it slipped out, unexpected to all involved and all who would later be impacted by it. A series of seven words.

"I wish that I was somewhere safe," thought Sarah.

Suddenly, before she knew what had happened, the weight of her captor on top of her, the sting of the blade as it pressed into her throat, and the feel of cold air on her partially nude body, all vanished. It was as if a veil had been drawn over the world, and everything she knew began to fade slowly into black, but it was a good kind of black.

"So this is what it means to die," thought Sarah vaguely as she drifted into unconsciousness.

The light hummed, bare in its socket, shining against the darkness of the room. Sarah Williams was gone.

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More to Come…

I am so sorry to all that are interested in my story that I take so long to update it. I thank everyone for their support.


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